The Landmarks Of Freemasonry.

not the spirit of tho profession . Brethren , let us take care that this shall never be said of any of us , but let ns , Avhilst not neglecting our duty as Masons , prove to tho world at largo and to our brethren that our professed morality and virtue is indeed a reality , and that we are Avorthy representatives of those of whom King Solomon said , " 0 ! worthy Masons !"

Royal Masonic Institution For Boys.

ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR BOYS .

CAMBRIDGE LOCAL EXAMINATION . THE resnlts of tho last Cambridgo Local Examination aro IAOAV published , and we learn from tho class list that tho Masonic School sent up 25 candidates ( 2 Seniors aud 23 Juuiors ) , of whom 21 Dassed the examination .

Out of tho 22 Juniors who succeeded , 19 gained honours aud 3 satisfied tho Examiners . Only 1 failed out of tho 25 .

SENIORS . 1 . Parker , W . R . 2 . Green , C . D .

JUNIORS . Honours First Class . 3 . Sage , E . T . } Distinguished 4 . Bowler , H . ) in Latin . 5 . Bryant , A . A . 6 . Widdowson , G . S . 7 . Booser , W . A . 8 . Uwins , C . M . H .

Second Class Honours . 9 . Davenport , W . 10 . Battye , J . E . 11 . Grimes , A , E ,

12 . Hazeland , J . I . 13 . noaviside , P . K . B . 14 . Moon , J . H . 15 . Piuson , H . E . K .

Third Class Honours . 16 . Sago , C . 17 . Sargant , S . II . 18 . Sawtell , W . E . 19 . Sparkes , W . S . 20 . Wellington , J . II . 21 . Whyatt , J . G .

Satisfied the Examiners . 22 . Railing , E . L . 23 . Dancy , W . B . 24 . Tayler , H . N .

The Fifteen Sections

THE FIFTEEN SECTIONS

Will be worked as under . On Wednesday evening , 27 th March , at tho Burdett Coutts Lodge of Instruction , Salmon and Ball , Bothnal Green-road , at half-past 0 o'clock precisely . Rro . G . Ward Vcrry W . M ., Bro . J . E . Ives S . W ., Bro . W . II . Myers J . W ., and Bro . J . J . Berry I . P . M . FIRST LECTURE

—Bros . M . Christian , W . J . Rawley , T . F . Harvey , J . J . Ashburner , C . K . Killic-k , C . II . Webb , and W . Musto . SECOND LECTURE- -Bros , C . Lorkin , W . H . Myers , J . J . Berry , W . Hogg , and S . C . Hewlett , THIRD LECTURE—Bros . W . II . Wallington , T . J . Maidwell , and J . E Ives . This Lodge of Instruction meets evory Wednesday , at half-past eight o ' clock .

On Friday evening , 29 th March , at tho Doric Lodgo of Instruction , No . 933 , The Duke ' s Head Tavern , 79 Whiteehnpol-road , by tho undermentioned brothreu of tho William Preston Lodgo of Instruction , at 7 o ' clock precisely , when tho chair will bo taken by Bro . T . J . Barnes . M ., Bros . W . II . G . Rndderforth S . W ., S . Goddon J . W ., and S . Cundiek l . P . M . FIRST LECTURE—Bros . J . Mnrch , S . Nichols ,

S . Goddon , G . West , R . P . Tate , W . Cleghorn , and W . Hill . SECOND LECTURE—BIOS . W . J . Hall , H . G . Harris , II . Evans , W . H . G . Rudderforth , and E . Adair . THIRD LECTURE—Bros . A . Braun , J . Passiiigbam , and J . C . Hayes . Tho William Preston Lodge of Instruction meets every Friday evening , at 8 o'clock , at tho Feathers Tavern , Upper George-street , Edgware-road . Bro . W . H . G . Rudderforth Preceptor .

On Tuesday , 2 nd April , at tho Royal Arthur Lodge of Instruction , No . 1360 , held at The Prince ' s Head , York-road , Battersea , at 7 p . m . precisely . Bros . Collings W . M ., Pulsford S . W ., Ratcliff J . W , FIRST LECTURE—BIOS . Fane , Carter , Tosey , Oliver , Alais , Hancock , and Pulsford . SECOND LECTURE—Bros . Smith , McKay , Lcaper , Colo , and Davis . THIRD LECTURE—Bros . Ratcliff , Holloway , and Colegrave . Bro . A . Withers is tho Secretary .

On Wednesday , 3 rd April , at tho Jordan Lodge of Instruction , No . 201 , Devonshire Arms , Portland-place . On Good Friday evening , the 19 th proximo , afc St . Luke ' s Lodge of Instruction , White Hart Tavern , King ' s-road , Chelsea . Bro . P . M . Ardiu , Zetland 511 , will take the chair at 6 . 30 p . m . Brethren are invited to attend . Tho names of any one wishing to assist will be thankfully received by the Hon . Sec .

The installation ceremony will be worked by Bro . Joseph Wright , on Tuesday next , the 2 fith inst ., at the Royal Arthur Lodge of Instruction , Princes Head , York-road , Battersea , at 8 o ' clock p . m .

Tho ccremonji of installation will be Avorked at the Islington Lodgo of Instruction , Three Bucks , 23 Gresham-street , E . C ., on Tuesday evening next , 26 th inst ., afc 7 o ' clock , by Bro . J . L . Mather P . M . 65 .

The ceremony of installation will be Avorked afc the Metropolitan Lodge of Instruction , No . 105 G , which meets at the Portugal Hotel 155 Fleet-street , E . C ., on Friday , the 29 th March , at 7 o ' c . ook in the evening , by Bro . W . N . Marston W . M . 1599 .

The First Annual Supper of the La Tolerance Lodge of Instruction will bo held on Wednesday , the 27 th of March , at the Horse and Groom , Winsley-street , Oxford-street , W . The chair Avill be taken by the veteran Preceptor , Bro . T , A , Adams P . G . P .

Correspondence

CORRESPONDENCE

We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our Cor respondents . We cannot undertake to return rejected communications . VI Letters mitst bear the name and address of the Writer , not necessarily for publication , but as a guarantee of good faith .

GRAND ORIENT AND ENGLISH FREEMASONRY

To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , — I am glad to see this subject is being discussed so fully in the columns of your estimable journal , and more especially that ono of your correspondents , Avho signs himself ' M . B . " hails from Paris , and is , I presume , a French brother . It is very certain thero is no Craftsman , who is worthy of tho name , but

must deeply deploro tho possibility of n severance of the mystic tie which has hitherto united tho Masous of France and England . Tho more , thereforo , tho case is argued in tho columns of your and other Masonic journals , tho likelier aro wo to obtain a clear and satisfactory statemont of what has happened , and tho position in Avhich English and French Masons stand to each other . As " M . B . " observes

in his last letter , tho Paris Lodges are making preparations with a view to giving a hearty welcome to tho many brethren who may be expected to visit tho French capital during tho exhibition , and it is desirable that English brethren should have some idea of the present relations existing between tho Grand Orient and our Grand Lodge . This , however , is a matter of detail , and will donbtlcss receivo its proper

share of attention . Tho main point concerns tho question , What , if any , change has come over the spirit of French Masonry , and it is to this that , with your permission , I will principally address myself . I am not afc all surprised to find certain differences of opinion on secondary matters among those of your correspondents Avho justify the recent alteration in tho Constitutions of tho French Grand

Orient , but I confess I am surprised when I find that Bro . Norton writing from Boston U . S . A ., Bro . M . B . Avriting from Paris , and " A IVee-Mason and P . M , " agree in representing , directly or indirectly , English Freemasonry as having about it an odour of sectarianism . I do not say they all affirm this in so many words ; but I think I am justified in imagining that some such idea is present in their minds ,

seeing that Avith oae accord they laud tho net of the Grand Orient of France in removing Avhafc most Euglish Masons regard as a fundamental principle of tho Craft , and rcprovo onr Grand Lodgo for denouncing officially such removal . In other Avords , the former , by sotting its faco directly in favour of absolute liberty of conscience , and formally protesting against any

confusion of religion with Freemasonry , is praiseworthy ; and ns a corollary of this proposition , tho latter , by its denunciation of such conduct , has justly earned for itself tho character of being a sectarian body , and is blameworthy . I hardly think this represents the facts of tho case . Onr English Constitutions arc , in their main features , tho same as they have ever been ; Avhilo tho French Constitutions

have admittedly undergone , at more than one period , sundry important changes . Wo are now what wo were in the days of Anderson and Desaguliers , the founders , Avith Payne and others , of Speculative Freemasonry . In saying this , I must ask your readers to understand that I do not refer to rituals , degrees , and tho like , but to tho prin . ciples of tho Fraternity . Before tho days" of these Avorthies ,

Freemasoury was unquestionably sectarian m its character . In proof of this I need do nothing more than refer your readers to Bro . Hughan ' s " Old Charges of British Freemasons ; " but as this valuable work may not be within reach of all , I will quote , at hazard , the invocation Avhich precedes the Charges as described , say , in the " Lansdowno MS ., " bearing date , according to Bro . Hnghan , about A . D . 1500 . lb is as follows : —

"HERE HEGINETH THE TRUE ORDER OV MASONP . IE . "The might of tho Father of the Heavens tho Wisdome of the Glorious Son and tho gooduesso of tho Holy Ghost threo Persons and one God be with vs now and ever Amen . " A similar invocation will be found at the head of all the old Masonic Charges which Bro . Hnghan has so laboriously collated and

annotated in the work I havo referred to ; and the fact of this being so proves indubitabl y that in the Pra > Spcculative period of its history Freemasonry was essentially Christian in its character . Whon , how . ever , the founders of Speculative Freemasonry framed the charges and regulations for its governance , they still retained tho essential principle of religion , as the most important of its bases , but changed

its character from sectarian to purely uusectarian . To pat tho matter simply ; whereas , before the foundation of the modern system it Ava 3 necessary that a Mason should be a Christian ; it became henceforth necessary that he should be a religious man , that is , should believe in the existence of God , but it Avas left to him to settle with his conscience tho manner of his religious faith . And this unsectarian

religious character , through all the changes Avhich have befallen ifc since , it has ever retained , and still retaius , in England at all events , if not in other countries . Now , I presume that none of your corres . pondents will venture to affirm that Britain is not the mother-country of Freemasonry , and that wherever else , in Europe , Asia , Africa , and America , it has since spread itself , all other Grand Orients and Grand

Lodges derive their origin , in the first instance , from onr Grand Lodge , or from the Grand Lodges of Ireland and Scotland , which were established some few years later . Thus our Grand Lodge was established in 1717 , and in a few years we find Masonic Lodges in France , Germany , Italy , Russia , the Netherlands , America , Spain , & c . In courso of time Deputations were issned for the formation of

Provincial Grand Lodges . Then independent Grand Lodges were set up , and took the place of the Prov . Grand Lodges ; and so it ivent on till the system of Speculative Freemasonry , as founded by Desaguliers and his compeers in this country , spread thenco over the face of the known Avorld . And whithersoever Freemasonry went , it took with it the principles laid down by its founders . I think there is none who will A'enfcnre to deny this proposition of mine . That in tho